Love Yourself Lovely - love yourself lean: Day #27

Theme Music Link: Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode

enjoy the silence

Description ***You may get substantially more out of this post if you read it while playing this video containing sounds of the Amazon Rainforest... and nothing more...***

Serenity

Tranquility

Calmness

Peace

Quiet

To Do

Make room for silence, from both without and within.

“One cannot underestimate the importance of silence in daily lives. Silence can have a profound impact in the way we think, our daily actions, our relationships. Very often, we are surrounded with noise all day long and we keep moving from one task to the other without taking a break to think, to reflect, to introspect. But for all these things, you require silence.” http://www.squidoo.com/the-importance-of-silence

Nourish Yourself

Silence your hunger pangs by drinking plenty of water BEFORE you eat. Also, as mentioned so many times, eating throughout the day and not waiting to eat (or rather overeat) late at night will keep your tummy from rumbling and keep your metabolism revved

Get Up & Go!

Observing silence has been said to be the “exercise of the soul.”

This is not the blog post encouraging you to pump up the volume. If you generally go to a noisy gym or take a class with blaring rousing music, do just the opposite... take a walk at the beach or park early in the morning, go for a hike

Tools

Your mind, your soul, a willingness not only to tune out but turn off distracting devices.... and a whole lot of nothing

Tip

Go on a long drive, commune with nature, give your mind a chance to let your innermost thoughts emerge and take form

Tweak

Silence thoughts that stress and strain you in order to make room for those that nurture and transform you

Question

What noisy thoughts constantly screaming at you can you silence today?

Thoughts

"The silence sings. It is musical. I remember a night when it was audible. I heard the unspeakable." - Henry David Thoreau

"Silence reveals itself in a thousand inexpressible forms: in the quiet of dawn, in the noiseless aspiration of trees towards the sky, in the stealthy descent of night, in the silent changing of the seasons, in the falling moonlight, trickling down into the night like a rain of silence, but above all in the silence of the inward soul." - Max Picard

"All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by silence." - Herman Melville

"In silence alone does a man's truth bind itself together and strike root." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together; that at length they may emerge full-formed and majestic into the daylight of Life, which they are thenceforth to rule." - Thomas Carlyle

Tidbits

eHow asked “people like you” How to Become More Serene.... here is what ‘you’ had to say (http://www.ehow.com/how_5289972_become-serene.html):

1. Get up and move. Exercise is an important part of achieving balance

The first step toward quieting inner demons is to shake things up. Your body is designed to be active. When you neglect that important fact, your mood is often the first of many casualties. Find ways to incorporate organized or freestyle exercise into your daily routine and you will notice the positive effects almost immediately.

2. Let go. Choose to respond with calm energy and you will benefit from increased peace.

When you are faced with a day's worth of worries, make a conscious effort to pick and choose your battles. Try letting the small frustrations of daily life slide past as often as possible. Just think, whether you cry, scream or steam about it, spilled milk will not un-spill itself. Why not choose to throw your hands up, laugh, and move on? You will retain more energy and the positive spin will help propel you forward in your day.

3. Be still. Focusing on the well being of your soul releases energy central to your state of mind.

At least once a day quiet yourself - mind, body and soul. Find a way to put your thoughts and responsibilities on hold so that you can focus energy solely on replenishing your spirit. Praying, meditating, stretching or simply taking in a view of the world from a seat in the sun can serve as catalysts to inner peace.

4. Stop taking shortcuts.Give good energy a direct path to your home by sending it out on a daily basis.
You've heard it all before: what you give is what you get and what goes around comes around. If you are always looking for ways to circumvent hard work, then you may just be creating bad karma for yourself. Pay off the debts that you owe, end destructive habits sooner rather than later and start giving people around you the respect they deserve. You will sleep better at night and build bridges for good things to come your way.

5. Become a writer. Finalizing thoughts and goals frees your mind and spirit.
Committing thoughts to paper requires that you complete them. All of the ambiguous notions, pesky reminders and important goals in your mind can easily overwhelm if you let them. Instead of trying to be super-human, put pen to paper and jot it down. Write long-term goals out and keep them where you can see them. Keep pre-printed grocery lists in the kitchen so you can circle items as you need them. Start a journal to vent worries and track growth. You'll be surprised by the amount of stress such practices can eliminate.

6. Be number one. Prioritizing will allow you to be a more effective individual.
When you spend more time solving other people's problems than you do working on your own responsibilities, your priorities can spiral out of balance fast. Become your own number one priority. If it means telling friends, coworkers and loved ones 'No' every now and then, so be it. Setting boundaries can be as liberating and serenity inducing as anything else you may attempt.

7. Stay positive. Look up at least once a day and you will be reminded to move up and onward.

The final step is to remain upbeat and fluid when trying to become more serene. Don't allow negative thoughts to weigh you down as you reach upward for a more peaceful state of mind. If you find yourself failing to complete steps you vowed to take, shake it off and start fresh the next day. You will never attain true serenity if you belittle, beleaguer or berate yourself for small failures. Reward your efforts by celebrating even small victories and you will be encouraged to forge ahead in your quest for serenity.

oh and by the way, on the eHow scale of difficulty Becoming Serene was listed as “easy”

Treat

Get out in nature! --Away from noise and nonsense
Lock yourself in the bathroom and soak in the tub.... doing nothing
If you are in a noisy environment where you require concentration put on your earbuds and listen to some soothing nature sounds to drown out the hubbub with soothing peace